Tourists visiting Tien pagoda in Phu Nghia commune (Lac Thuy) ensure the requirements of preventing and controlling Covid-19 pandemics.
With its own potentials, Lac Thuy is planned as a key tourism development area of the province. The district has implemented many specific solutions on planning, attracting investment resources to develop forms of spiritual, ecological, cultural and historical tourism. However, due to the impact of Covid-19 epidemics, the number of visitors as well as the revenue from tourism in the district has decreased markedly. In order for tourism to adapt to the new situation, the District People's Committee has developed a plan to welcome tourists, directing the functional agencies to strengthen the inspection of the "5K” compliance, promoting tourism and ensuring the epidemic prevention and control.
On the 3rd day of the Lunar New Year, the district opened the festival of Tien pagoda in Phu Nghia commune. This is a traditional festival held every year when Tet holidays arrive. This year, due to the influence of Covid-19 epidemics, the rituals in the ceremony are still fully conducted, no festivals are held to limit the gathering of the people. The festival lasts until the end of the third lunar month, attracting a large number of tourists from all over the country and it is a highlight in the district's tourism development.
There are 6 national-ranked relics and 11 provincial-level relics in the whole province. In 2021, the district strengthened the tourism management activities in the complicated development of Covid-19 pandemics. Most of the communes and the town have actively developed the inspection plans at the festival sites in their respective management areas. 100% of the accommodation businesses, the karaoke businesses, the entertainment services have signed a commitment to comply with the regulations on Covid-19 prevention and control. However, due to the impact of the pandemics, the transport and tourism services were heavily affected, especially the tourism services. The total number of visitors and tourists reached 350,000 arrivals, reaching 44.87%. The total revenue was estimated at 62.7 billion VND. Only in February, the district welcomed over 5,000 turns of visitors, getting over 150 million VND in revenue.
Opening the door to welcome tourists adapting to the new situation, the district has developed many flexible response scenarios to all situations such as: Visitors must have health declaration, measure body temperature, scan QR codes at the tourism attractions, disinfecting spray at tourism spots, setting up the mobile medical stations to ready receive the patients when there are signs of suspicion; promoting propaganda for the restaurant businesses, the hotel and accommodation establishments to ensure security and commit to strictly implement "5K”.
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Van, the Vice Chairman of the District People's Committee said: Implementing the Government's Resolution 128 on the safe and flexible adaptation and effective control of Covid-19 pandemics, in order to stimulate tourism demand, the district has been focusing on sthengthning propaganda and promotion of the district's image on the mass media; regularly renovating and embellishing the spacious, clean and beautiful relics; paying attention to the security, food safety and hygiene at the tourism attractions; promoting and calling for the investment, supporting the organizations and individuals to participate in the development of tourism products. In 2022, the district continues implementing the measures to prevent and control Covid-19 epidemics in the new situation. It is nêcsary to inhance the roles and responsibilities of the State’s management agencies and the communes and the town in the management of the local relics; trying to develop Tien Pagoda tourism area into a national tourism area, taking the spiritual tourism and the complex of Tien Pagoda scenic area as the main product with the specific characteristics. It is also neccesary to speed up the progress of construction and embellishment of work items at the relic sites. It is suggested that the superstition at the relic sites should resolutely be eliminated, aiming to make the image of Lac Thuy tourism safe, friendly, hospitable, civilized and polite, which is truly an attractive destination for tourists.